


Loving you is a piece of (birthday) cake

by IndigoJuly



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Multi, Nonbinary Alex Danvers, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 17:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30092763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigoJuly/pseuds/IndigoJuly
Summary: Of course Alex’s birthday fell on a week where they barely had any free time or energy to think about something other than work. And so of course they forgot about it. Lucy, Maggie, and Kara didn’t though....Technically supposed to be a birthday party fic but really more of a random DS fic where it just so happens to be around Alex’s birthday.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Lucy Lane/Maggie Sawyer
Comments: 23
Kudos: 37





	Loving you is a piece of (birthday) cake

**Author's Note:**

> Alex is nonbinary and uses they/them since I automatically started to write with those pronouns and figured I’d keep it. And because gendery things are the main topics holding my writing interest at the moment (though not the main focus here).
> 
> And have another bad pun as the title! Since titling these random kinda fluffy fics is hard.

The past week had been… a week for Alex. It started off with a pair of field missions that left their ankle sprained, confining them to the lab. Which actually wasn’t such a bad thing at first. They hadn’t been able to spend as much time as they would like on research recently, instead being constantly pulled out into the field or pushed into leading a training session. 

But then a deadly disease had started to present itself in a handful of aliens and every free moment Alex had was spent actively investigating it. Even after they were dragged out of their lab at the end of the day, it weighed on their mind, the time-sensitive nature of the problem ratcheting up their stress levels.

Today was yet another busy day and Alex was in the DEO at the crack of dawn. First up was speed reading the pile of articles they had gathered, assisted by  one —make that two cups of coffee. Then came the full day of assays. Even if Alex got a little tired, the blinding combination of ceiling lights and a desk lamp kept them awake.

They were on the verge of a breakthrough though, where they had all the pieces of the puzzle and they only needed to work out their orientations to come up with an optimized solution.

Based on the results from the last assay, they figured that they only—

A knock against the lab’s door frame reverberated through the lab, unnoticed by Alex.

—needed to improve the—

“Agent Danvers?”

—final steps of it to maximize the resulting—

Lucy finally just let herself into the lab. When Alex got focused like this, simple knocking wouldn’t pull them out of their head.

She walked up besides them, exaggerating the sound of her steps just in case.

Alex was bent over the lab bench, intensely focused on… some science thing that Lucy wasn’t going to try to guess. She loved listening to Alex gush about their research, loved watching them light up as they described their latest project, loved their thoughtful confidence. But the finer details, the ones that she didn't need to know to understand the important results? Those went in one ear and out the other.

She waited for a minute until it seemed like Alex was at a good stopping point (and maybe to watch their hands manipulate the tools—something that should have been boring but was instead eye catching, to witness the fluid ease with which they moved) and then cleared her throat.

“How’re you doing there, Danvers?” Lucy leaned her hip against the bench, careful not to disturb anything as she angled her head down towards Alex’s. “Alex?”

They finally snapped their head up with a startled noise. 

“Wha—Lucy?” Alex leaned back and rolled their neck and shoulders. Lucy’s joints ached in sympathy at the audible cracks. She'd have to give Alex a massage later. And remind them to sit properly.

“Yeah, it’s me. How’s the research going?”

The weariness around the edges of Alex lessened a little, giving way to some relieved optimism. “Ah, I think I’m almost there! A couple more hours and I should have this sorted out, fingers crossed. How’s the day been for you?”

“That’s good. It’s been a lot of logistics with the NCPD and the rest of the organizations, but nothing too bad. I’m about to take a break for lunch. You should join me.” Lucy tipped her head and watched as Alex got hesitant.

“I want to, Luce, I just—I’m so close to getting this.” 

And honestly, Lucy was expecting that. It had been like this the past couple of days, where Alex had to be reminded to eat and convinced to take a real lunch break. One that didn’t involve pouring over literature while shoving food into their mouth as fast as humanly possible.

“Will this,” Lucy tipped her head towards whatever experiment Alex was working on, “be ok sitting for a half hour?” 

Alex gnawed their lip for a moment, eyes flicking between Lucy and the bench. “Yes, but—”

“No  _ buts _ if it’s fine. You’ve been here at the DEO longer than you’ve been at home today and it's barely lunch time. If it can wait, you need food and a break.” Lucy shifted to stand up straight and looked at Alex expectantly.

“Who says I haven’t taken a break? Got agents spying on me for you, Lane?” Alex asked, head tilted playfully with a lopsided smirk. 

And well, it wasn’t really like that. Lucy had had Vas, Winn, and Kara  _ occasionally  _ check to ensure that Alex didn’t completely overwork themselves this week, and in any case, “The word  _ break _ is seemingly only a part of your vocabulary in the context of broken bones and broken rules, Danvers.”

“Sounds like I should get back to this assay then.” Alex grinned as Lucy’s eyes resisted rolling.

“What if I said that Kara even picked up your favorite from that food truck in Chicago?” Now that was a success. Alex’s eyes lit up and they sucked in a quiet breath, surprised and delighted. They had been craving it the past few days, lamenting that the substitutes in National City just didn’t quite match up. Lucy couldn’t tell that much of a difference but Maggie had nodded along while Alex listed off the differences, so it seemed like there was something special to it.

“Alright, a half hour just for that. Can you hand me my notebook?” Alex gestured behind Lucy.

After she passed it over, Alex wrote down a few notes and then the two of them walked (slowly, mindful of Alex’s ankle still in a brace) to Lucy’s office for lunch. The moment Lucy opened her door and the smell of food wafted towards them, Alex was humming and making a careful beeline for the brown paper bag on the desk.

Lucy followed behind, chuckling at their eagerness. “Aren’t you glad you’re taking a break?” 

Her hands slid up their back, caught up in the desire to touch. Given everything they had been dealing with this past week, she felt like she’d barely been able to just relax with Alex. Lucy stopped her ascent along the edge of the half binder, diverting her touch to smooth her palms along the seam. 

She didn’t even need to say anything before Alex was double checking that the blinds and door were shut and started pulling off their shirt to take off the binder. Lucy grabbed the hoodie that now lived in her office and handed it to them.

“Thank you,” Lucy murmured into Alex’s back once they pulled the soft hoodie on. “I know it sucks. I just want you to be as safe as you can, especially with the long hours you’re pulling.”

“I know.” They did; all three of them had brought it up after it became obvious how long Alex could be wearing it for. Excursions out in the field were their own ongoing discussion, but for when Alex was spending the day in the DEO? This brief midday rest was becoming a routine during shared lunches with Lucy if Alex was binding. The binder was going back on before they left Lucy’s office, but in the meantime, it was admittedly good for their ribs to be able to expand without the added pressure.

Lucy’s hands trailed over the Stanford hoodie, moving around Alex’s waist to clasp together over their stomach. She melted against them, content to revel in the warmth for a minute. “I’m really proud of you, you know, for all the progress you’ve made in the lab. I know you’ve been really stressed about it. You're almost there, babe.” 

Alex smiled and let out a puff of air. “It’s been a hell of a week, that’s for sure. But thank you. And thanks for the food too—well, you and Kara. And I’m actually hungry now, so maybe we should eat?”

“You got it, Danvers.” But first, Lucy stepped in front of them and cupped the back of their head to bring them down for a kiss. She had really missed this. Just having time for themselves. 

And evidently so had Alex. They went easily, letting Lucy guide their head and nip gently at their lips. Their hands clutched at Lucy’s waist and with a few slow steps forward, they had Lucy pressed against her desk. 

The room suddenly felt warmer.

“Alex,” Lucy quietly exhaled against Alex's lips as she tangled her fingers in their hair.

Alex’s fingers flexed into her waist in response, then trailed lower. “All good?” 

“... can your experiment sit for longer than a half hour?” 

Alex rested their forehead on Lucy’s as they recalled where in the process they were. It actually could sit, miraculously. 

And Lucy, eyes closed and a blush creeping up her cheeks, was gently tugging on their hair and not-quite panting against their lips.

“ _ Yes _ .” Their voice was low and edging on rough and now, neither of them was hungry for  _ food _ anymore.

\--

For once this week, Lucy was able to drive back home with Alex, who had indeed still managed to make their breakthrough and was convinced to come home at a reasonable time. When Maggie got back home and saw them both on the couch, she nearly tripped over her own shoes while hurrying over. And then immediately made herself comfortable with her legs swung over Alex’s lap while Lucy volunteered to heat up food.

"Got that assay going well?" Maggie guessed.

"Finally.” Alex dropped their head onto the back of the couch, exposing the length of their neck that Lucy had managed to not leave a mark on. “It turned out that there was an issue with the…”

Ah, and that was Lucy’s cue to tune out the actual words and just enjoy the lilt of their voices.

After dinner, Alex collapsed in bed, completely exhausted and finally able to relax. Lucy and Maggie slipped under the sheets, surrounding them with familiar comfort that helped ease the remaining stress. Even after the last bits of tension left Alex’s muscles and their breaths deepened, Lucy and Maggie remained in bed reading in the dim light just to be close, to see Alex's face completely relaxed, to listen to their steady breath, to soak up their presence.

And once the two of them drifted off, all three were able to sleep easily, warm and content.

\--

Alex slowly woke to light filtering through the curtains. An unusual occurrence as of late—they had either been waking up in the middle of the night from stress or getting up before the sun was up. What time was it?

They stretched a little, feeling around for their girlfriends. Their hands met empty sheets and fading warmth. That was also unusual, given that they had been quietly leaving for work before Lucy or Maggie had gotten up. 

Alex forced their eyes open and looked around. Maggie and Lucy were moving about in the kitchen. Didn’t they have work? Didn’t Alex have work?

A  _ whoosh _ through the window drew their attention. 

“Kara?” 

“Happy birthday, Alex!” Kara’s grin was more blinding than the morning sunlight and Alex was  _ so confused _ .

“What? Birthday?” Not particularly articulate, but Alex hadn’t had any coffee yet and that was about as good as it was going to get.

“You know, the day that comes around every year? When you officially turn one year older?” Alex ignored the playful jab in favor of grabbing the mug of caffeinated heaven from Maggie. Piping hot and exactly how they liked it.

“Should I start making breakfast or does Danvers need a while to wake up?” Lucy called from the kitchen.

The mention of food got Alex slowly moving to get ready and eventually, all four of them were getting seated at the table for breakfast.

“Wow guys, what is all this?”

On the table were plates each holding a pair of crepes filled with a mix of berries and cream, topped off with berry sauce and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

“It’s your birthday breakfast,” Maggie said, turning to kiss their cheek. “Happy birthday, Al.”

“Thanks guys,” Alex smiled. “I guess I was just so caught up in everything this week that it completely slipped my mind.”

“We figured it might,” Lucy nodded. “Given how stressed you’ve been, we figured that something low-key might be nice. And you’re banned from the DEO today given all the time you’ve spent working, especially since the rest of the researchers can handle the experiments now. Plus, Maggie and I got the day off.”

Alex glanced over at Kara. “I’ve got my schedule and Supergirl stuff figured out,” she assured. “I swear.”

“So, we can all just enjoy the day off and celebrate! Happy birthday, Alex,” Lucy grinned. “So go on, enjoy.”

And they did. Alex hadn’t seen Lucy make crepes before, but she apparently knew how to because they were thin and airy and gone entirely too fast. They’d have to convince her to make them more often.

Even after the four of them finished eating, they stayed at the table talking and enjoying each other’s company. And Alex was relaxed for once, laughing along with the rest of them instead of getting dragged down by stress. 

They migrated from the table to the couch and back again for food, and Alex also needed to convince Maggie to make this cake again since Kara absolutely squealed in delight at the flood of candy that spilled out when Maggie cut into it. (And well, Alex may have gotten a little excited too.)

The day passed by with ease, the kind of ease that Lucy and Maggie hadn’t expected to have before Alex and Kara came into their lives. Where no one needed to perform or pretend. It was just comfortable. Safe. 

And that’s exactly why when Maggie and Lucy curled up in bed with Alex at the end of the day, they held their girlfriends extra close, extra tight. Because for a day that was supposed to be about them, it was the first birthday where Alex really felt like themself. Where they had the words to describe themself and were surrounded by people who accepted them. Where they felt seen.

_ I love you _ didn’t capture even a fraction of the feelings that burned in their chest, but they’d have plenty of time to find the words in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never been into birthday parties, much less had or participated in a surprise one. And I had zero good ideas for a big surprise party and no motivation to write a simple, fun birthday scene with the four of them. And apparently little motivation to write Maggie (or Kara). I did have this idea though, so I figured I’d write it? I know that the birthday section is small in comparison… and not really a surprise party… but Alex was kinda surprised? In any case, 🎉 hope you have a good one Annabethsgirl!


End file.
